Author Description

The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes <p>When you write fiction, you march onto a minefield. This book gives you a map.</p> <p>Oh, what tricky terrain you're traveling! You must reckon with: Character, Conflict, Point of View, Dialogue, Editors, Editors, and Editors, who--by returning stories they see as problem-plagued--can burst your hopes of publication.</p> <p>Where are the problems? Editors rarely take the time to map them out, so Jack Bickham has. In this book, he spotlights the 38 most common fiction writing land mines--writing mistakes that can turn even dynamite story ideas into slush pile rejects. And he guides you in overcoming them.</p> <p>In to-the-point style, he shows you how to:<ul> <li>conquer procrastination--and put ink on paper regularly</li> <li>dump wimpy characters--and build characters ready to act</li> <li>look for trouble--and create conflicts for your characters</li> <li>cut coincidence--and put better-than-life logic into fiction</li> <li>escape the fog--and find and stick to your story's direction</li> <li>free feelings--and fire your fiction with passion and emotion</li></ul> In short, Bickham helps you take a giant step toward publication.</p> <p>Read this book. Strengthen your writing. And start setting off explosions where they belong: on the sales charts.</p>